Disrupting a Historical Status Quo of Racial Disparity by Opening the Hearts and Minds of Teachers

• In Event: History, Hate, and Hope

Abstract

The metaphoric fabric of society in New Zealand includes a racialised education agenda that provided a separate education system for the Natives from 1867 to 1969. As in many other colonised countries, this system was shaped by and designed to support an oppressive agenda of settler colonisation (Shields et al., 2005), that has assimilated and underserved its indigenous Māori population over successive generations (Bishop & Glynn, 1999; Berryman, 2023). Holding a mirror up to ourselves, to critically examine our own beliefs, values and practices in these regards, is required to disrupt and change this situation (Bishop & Berryman, 2006), however, it has very rarely been achieved (Berryman, 2022). In response, teacher professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities have been developed to critically examine oneself within the history of our racialised nation (Eley & Berryman, 2020). This programme, the Poutama Pounamu Blended Learning (PPBL), leverages off the strengths of both online and face-to-face PLD contexts, and has been working with teachers and leaders from across the schooling system in New Zealand, for eight years now (Maisey, 2022).

This paper presents a thematic analysis of outcomes that have emerged and also direct quotes from educators’ refective journals, to describe some of the changes they have experienced. These include, opening their hearts and minds to disrupt the harmful, historical status quo of racial disparity in their classrooms and schools (Ngammo, 2019).

In the PPBL, Critical and Kaupapa Māori theories provide the means to raise consciousness so that educators are able to recognise, understand and respectfully deconstruct prejudice, bias and racism when it is present. Participants are also supported to understand that the disparities for Māori in education were socially constructed and are disproportionately privileging non-Māori over Māori (Berryman et al., 2023). Much of this history has been deliberately silenced thus perpetuating a status quo of disparity (Macdonald, 2018). Becoming consciously aware of these challenging histories requires safe spaces in which to engage through the establishment of respectful cultural relationships. Cultural contexts such as these enable us to hear the narratives of others and test out our own beliefs. This can be achieved through power sharing and by being prepared to be a learner amongst learners. In the PPBL, the learning is layered with time to question, rationalise and reposition toward new perceptions of the system and our power relationships within it. This ‘slow burn learning’ is extended with online components contributing to deeper understandings of what works for Māori learners. Structured reflections and facilitator feedforward encourage individual and collective agency to effect local change. The spreading of ongoing and enduring conversations, within small groups, begins to disrupt and reform local cultures and structures. Aspirations for equity and social justice are generally what attracts people and keeps them focussed. Unsurprisingly, a number who are overly invested in the system’s existing culture and structures, struggle, and some continue to abbrogate responsibility to change.

Author

• Mere Berryman, University of Waikato